WORDEN — The Huntley Project girls basketball team has lofty expectations this year, and rightfully so.
The Red Devils played on Saturday night at last year’s State B tournament, finishing fourth, and they return the bulk of their production.
“I think we're not satisfied. I think we're going to try to prove to these guys that we're better than that, and hopefully we can finish out on top," Project head coach Mandy Morales told MTN Sports.
Any sort of improvement results in hardware at the state tournament. Now this isn’t a team loaded with a ton of experience. In fact, there are no seniors on the roster, but it’s a crew that’s played plenty of minutes together the past few years.
“The experience that they've had in past years is going to help them out. They won't be so shell shocked when they get on the big stage," Morales said. "I tell them every time we go to practice, it's like work. When we play games it's just showcasing what you're working on."
One big addition to the Red Devil roster? Sannah Windy Boy, who came over from Laurel when her father Buddy took the boys job for Project.
“I think it's going to be huge on both ends. She can attack on the offensive end and has great moves down low, and she's also able to shoot," Morales said. "Defensively I think she's a big presence down there because she's able to clog up some space."
We haven’t even mentioned one of the state’s most talented and electrifying players regardless of class — junior Paige Lofing. Lofing almost single-handedly willed Project to last year’s Southern B title with 43 points against Big Timber in the championship game. Add in that strong supporting cast and this team could be lethal.
Again the Southern B division is loaded, but these Project girls might be the class of the group.
